I have been leading a meditation group for several years at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC, (a multilateral institution in the World Bank Group) where I have also recently been asked to conduct a “De-stressing with art” series in their art gallery. I myself will be having a show there (27 June to 11 July) together with a Millennial and a 94-year-old (to demonstrate that this is a gentle practice accessible to all ages and stages of life). Our show is exploring the idea of sketching in the plein-air tradition — from life, on location, in a single session. Making art in this way is an excellent companion to sitting meditation. Rooted in direct observation and rendering from life, it is not fantasy work or day-dreaming (which are, of course, good too in their own right!), but is focused instead on paying close attention to visual objects and rendering them. In any case, I wanted to call this to the attention of the community in case anyone is planning to be in Washington during this period, and to start a dialogue with others who may be interested in the links between the sketchbook and the cushion. www.seeingandsketching.com